SPICE!
by ALovelyLie
Summary: The talented young lawyer Byakuya Kuchiki is New York City's rising star in the courtroom - and he's also the city's biggest womanizer as well. His past begins to haunt him as he questions all of decisions, including his love for somebody that nobody would approve of.
1. Cross My Heart

_Hello everybody, thank you for reading my fanfic! A few things first: This story takes place in an AU, i.e. modern day. Also, as you will see shortly, the main character's personality is pretty drastically different from normal. I tried to keep a few things the same, but for the sake of this fanfiction, he's going to be acting different. _

_If you recognize the title, that's because this is based off of the song SPICE! by Kagamine Len. Go Google it, if you don't know it. There are going to be some similarities between this fanfic and the song. However, there will be differences (of course). I'm sure plenty of other people have done fanfic based off of the song, but I assure you that I have not read any of them. If there are similarities betewen my fanfic and other stories, they are purely coincidental. _

_This is rated M for cursing, sexual content, and possible lemon in later chapters. Ye have been warned._

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><p><strong>Chapter I; Cross My Heart<strong>

_Ring, ring, ring._

That was the sound that regretfully dragged me from the clutches of sleep.

_Ring, ring, ring._

I reached out blindly towards the source of the noise, finally grabbing the offending object. Slowly sitting up, I let the cell phone ring once more, an amused smile playing on my lips as I read the caller ID. Finally flipping it open, I brought it to my ear, keeping my voice as smooth as silk when I spoke. "You do know that at 4 A.M., most people are sleeping, right?"

"Shut up, you bastard. Where the hell are you? Are with another woman?" Her words were sharp and accusatory, leaving no room for any games. Hah. I could have laughed at how indignant she sounded.

"Of course not, Rangiku. Some new evidence was discovered, so they called me to take a look. The sight was an hour away, so I'm crashing at a friend's house for the night."

There was a pause on the other end as Rangiku apparently debated on whether or not to believe me. "Which friend?" she asked hesitantly.

"Do you remember Abarai Renji? He's the detective on the case. We frequently work together."

There was another pause, and before she could say anything else I added, "You know, you're the only woman for me."

"Really?"

"Of course," I said easily. "I love you and you alone."

She breathed out a sigh of relief, clearly at ease. "I love you too, Byakuya. I'm sorry I doubted you. Don't work yourself too hard, I don't want you to be too tired for me," she purred.

"I'll never be too tired to spend time with you." Immediately after saying this, I moved the phone away from my ear, anticipating the high-pitched giggle on the other end. After a moment, I put the phone back to my ear just in time to hear her say, "-you get some rest! Good night, Byakuya. Sweet dreams."

"Only if they're filled with you. Good night, Rangiku."

I hurriedly disconnected the call after, just as the sheets beside me began moving. Quietly, I put the phone back down on the desk just as the woman beside me slowly swam into consciousness.

"Were you talking to somebody?" she asked groggily.

Her hair spilled across the bed sheets, the city lights casting an interesting glow on its purple color. I couldn't help but reach out and lightly grasp a lock of her hair, twirling it lightly between my fingers. The lock slid out of my reach as she sat up beside me, her hands keeping the blanket at her chest.

"Are you going to answer my question or not?"

I shrugged simply. "It was work related."

One corner of her lips began curving upward in a smile. This was odd – she always did that when she was amused.

She must have seen my scowl because she laughed that carefree laugh at me, throwing her head back as she did so. "You really think I'm that stupid?"

Again, I frowned. "What, you think I'm lying to you?"

A wicked grin appeared on her face. "Byakuya Kuchiki, I know how you are. How you _really_ are. You don't have to play games with me – I know you have other lovers. I also know that you were talking to one of them on the phone."

Before I could even open my mouth to protest, she placed one of her long, delicate fingers on my lips, silencing me.

"Please Byakuya, that obnoxious ring tone of yours probably woke up the people in the next room."

She removed her finger and crossed arms, still managing to keep that sheet covering herself. For a few seconds, all I could do was stare at her as she continued to smile that wicked grin at me, waiting for my response.

Instead, I grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and brought her forward where my lips crashed into hers. She responded accordingly, and when we finally pulled away, I couldn't help the victorious smile that spread across my lips. Her hands had left the sheet that she had been clutching to her chest, which left her breasts uncovered for my gaze.

Realizing that I was staring, she boldly put her hands on her waist and stuck out her chest even further. "Like what you see, Byakuya?" A little wiggle accompanied this question.

I couldn't help but throw back my head as a roar of laughter ripped through me. Any other woman would have thought that I was laughing at them, but instead her laugh soon accompanied mine when a snort suddenly broke through her laughter.

I raised my hands to my mouth in a mock gasp. "Yoruichi, that was _very_ unladylike of you," I chided.

She flipped her purple hair at me, the motion causing her breasts to move in a delightful fashion. "Oh, _please_. As if you care, Byakuya. Now if you're done ogling my boobs, can I go back to sleep?" She must have noticed the look I gave her, because she rolled her eyes and began settling back down into bed. "And by sleep, I mean without your greedy hands all over me. Besides, you really do need to get some rest. Now sleep already before I have to _make_ you sleep."

Wasn't I lucky to have her? That was my Yoruichi Shihoin, a woman who didn't give a damn what anybody thought of her. This fact was immediately made evident from the very moment you laid yours eyes on her – her purple hair and gold-colored eyes, that is. I don't even know why I tried to hide my other lovers from her - she didn't care who else I slept with. Hell, she probably had other lovers beside myself as well and I was perfectly fine with that. But still, she was so willful and independent that it was _almost_ a wonder why she even slept with me.

'Almost' being the keyword in that sentence.

I couldn't help myself when I leaned forward and placed a light kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, Yoruichi."

She rolled away from my touch, but not before I saw the smile on her face. Satisfied, I slid down in the protection of the blankets and basked in the warmth of my lover's body.

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><p>"<em>Eeek, Bya-nii! Help me!"<em>

"_What? What's wrong!"_

"_Bya-nii! Bya-nii! Hurry!"_

"_Oh, you silly girl, it's just a spider."_

"_But it's scary!"_

"_You don't have to worry, because as long as I'm here, nothing will be able to harm you."_

"_You promise?"_

"_I promise."_

"_Cross your heart?"_

"_I cross my heart and hope to die." _

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><p>I jolted upright in bed, confusion running rampant through me. The faint silhouette of a girl lingered in my vision as the feeling of a fresh breeze flowed over my body. This sensation lasted all of a heart beat before the sound of my phone ringing completely tore the image out of my mind. Irritated, my hand snapped toward the cell phone, quickly turning off the alarm. It was 6:00 A.M. I only had two hours of sleep after my phone call with Rangiku, although it only felt like it had been 30 seconds since I had that dream…<p>

What the hell did I dream about anyway?

Stumbling out of bed, I threw a pillow in Yoruichi's direction to wake her up as I lumbered toward the bathroom. Normally, I would have invited her into the shower with me, but I just wasn't in the mood this morning.

Shocking, I know.

But for some reason, that dream bothered me. Why couldn't I just remember already?

As I soaked away under the relaxing jets of wonderfully warm water, I decided to forget about it. It was just a dream, after all. Sure, dreams were supposed to be messages from your subconscious or whatever, but what was the point if I couldn't even remember them?

"Hurry up already! Jeez Byakuya, you shower longer than most women!"

Although she wouldn't be able to see it, I couldn't help the smug grin on my face. "Then why don't you come and join and me?"

"Hell no! Then I'll definitely be late for work!"

Laughing audibly, I turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around my waist as I grabbed another one for my hair. As soon as I opened the bathroom door, Yoruichi shoved me outside and rushed in, slamming the door behind her. Was she really that late for work?

Lingering for a moment, the sound of the toilet seat being slammed open answered my question. "Aw, Yoruichi, I thought you were better than lying to me? If I knew you had to make a number one, I would have gladly let you in the bathroom while I showered," I teased, stifling my laughter.

"Shut up! What kind of sick-o listens to people while they piss anyway! You fucking creep, go away!"

Laughing as I walked off, I casually tossed the towel around my waist to the ground, knowing that I had enough time to change before Yoruichi got out of the bathroom. My suit case was carefully packed with my work clothes for that day: a cream colored suit with a sky blue dress shirt, and with a nice tie and some expensive shoes, I was good to go.

Well, except for my hair. It was times like these (i.e. every morning) that I almost wished I listened to everybody else and got a haircut. My hair rivaled those of most women, seeing as it reached past my shoulders and my bangs neared my chin. But my pride and stubbornness kept me from cutting my hair, despite all the criticism I received for it. If it wasn't for the talent I had for my job, no company would have even let me past their lobby after one look at me.

But, I did have talent. A shitload of it, actually. And besides, it was only on a professional level that people were bothered by my hair. The ladies absolutely loved it.

As if on cue, Yoruichi waltzed out of the bathroom and buzzed right by me. The towel she had wrapped around her body looked as if it was about to fall any moment, unable to contain the bundles on her chest. Resisting the impulse to slip her towel off (she wouldn't have minded anyway – actually, she might have thanked me for helping her out so she could change faster), I considered drying my hair with the hairdryer and decided against it. It would dry just fine on the car ride back home.

"See ya later," Yoruichi called as I was leaving.

"Sure."

I had already paid for the room and Yoruichi would check out once she left,sd so I left the hotel in no rush with plenty of time to get back home. On the phone earlier, I had told Rangiku that I was an hour away from home.

That was a blatant lie.

The hotel I had gotten wasn't too expensive (at least, not on my salary) with a beautiful view of the New York City lights at night. It was also a mere ten minute walk back to my place.

It was still too early for any heavy traffic so I was able to make it back home without having to fight through crowds of people or cut across streets filled with taxis bumper to bumper, although I'm not always this lucky.

As I entered the building, the receptionist at the lobby greeted me with familiarity and I gave him a curt nod in return. In the elevator, I inserted my key into a little slot and pushed the button that would take me to the top floor. To my penthouse.

If anything, the life of a talented lawyer is a damn good one.

Getting off the elevator, I let out a sigh of relief at the fact that the lights were still off. That was good. Walking silently through my home, I gave everything a quick look around just to make sure things looked ok and that I hadn't been robbed while I was away, but everything looked fine. I walked up the stairs and paused at the front of a door, listening. As quietly as I could, I turned the knob and opened the door a crack, peeping inside. A moment later I was inside the room, gazing at the figure that was sleeping soundly on the bed.

On the desk adjacent to the bed were several pictures, most of them containing myself along with her, both of us smiling happily and significantly younger. I picked one up and stared at the image of a younger-me giving her a piggy-back ride. Even though this picture had been taken several years ago, I could still remember the very moment when this picture was taken. She was wearing a new white sundress – one that I had bought for her – and even though I said she shouldn't ride on my back while she was wearing it, she insisted anyway.

I put the picture back down on the desk and leaned over the girl in the bed. Gently, I brushed away a strand oh hair away from her face. Nowadays, it was only when she was asleep that she looked so peaceful. Recognition suddenly sprang to life in my mind, as the memory of my dream earlier brought itself into the light.

"Cross my heart and hope to die? Yeah, right. I couldn't even protect you."

I leaned forward and kissed her forehead lightly, as if she would break any moment. My words were barely audible, even to myself.

"Will you ever forgive me, Rukia?"

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! Please leave a review - seeing that people actually like reading my story motivates me all the more to write chapters faster. <em>


	2. A Date for Death

**II; A Date for Death**

The way to any man's heart is to cook him a glorious and hearty breakfast.

Of course, the only other person in my home was currently sleeping, which left me to do the cooking by myself. While I'm not the next the Iron Chef, I know enough to keep me and my sister alive with some decent food.

Just as I was finishing setting the table, the sound of a heavy thump reached my ears. Anybody else would be worried if you heard your sister crashing to the floor, but when this happened every day, you got used to her clumsiness.

A second passed, and then a groggy voice called out, "I'm alright!"

"Good, now hurry up and eat your breakfast!"

Moments later, my sister stumbled into the kitchen, her hair still a mess and bags under her eyes. "Good morning, Bya-nii," she said sleepily, punctuating her sentence with a yawn.

"Morning, Rukia. Eat up," I said while she dragged her feet to the table and plopped in one of the chairs. Setting a plate complete with eggs, bacon, and toast in front of her, I then poured myself a cup of coffee and grabbed my own plate of food, settling into the chair across from her.

Although I referred to Rukia as my sister, we were in no way related by blood. Our first meeting was eight years ago, when I was introduced to her by my girlfriend, who would later become my wife.

We had only been married for five short years before she died.

Those days are now just a precious memory – a dream that I so desperately do not want to forget. But as of right now, that is not possible. Because every time I look at Rukia, I always see Hisana – my wife - in her. Not just physical appearance - although they were remarkably similar in their beauty - but in the way her eyes shined when she was happy and the beautiful noise that was her laughter. And how Rukia could be so amazingly gentle with others – watching her take care of somebody was like watching a mother care for her child. All these and things and more still brought forth the image of Hisana in my mind.

But of course, Rukia was different. She was fiery, headstrong, and passionate about life. Her sense of justice often led to her getting into fights that didn't originally even concern her – she would see some poor individual getting tormented by a pack of bullies, and she couldn't help herself but to rush in to help. Although Hisana and I had always lectured her about getting into fights, we were always proud of her, that there were still some good people in the world. Being around her was never boring.

That is, unless you're with her in the morning. The daylight hours were never Rukia's strong suit, as made evident by the fact that she always stumbled and fell over every single morning. But this Rukia was usually never seen by the light of day, because by the time she left for school she'd be back to her normal, energetic self.

"Hey Bya-nii, so what time did you get home last night? Sorry I wasn't awake to welcome you home."

"Nah, it's fine, you need your sleep. I got home pretty late after all," I said casually, waving her apology away.

A worried looked crossed her face. "Work has been pretty tough on you lately, huh? Are _you_ getting enough rest?" My eye twitched in annoyance – it seems like all the females in my life were convinced that my work had me slaving away into the night. Without waiting for my response, Rukia quickly continued, "If you got home as late as you did and you were up early enough to make breakfast, there's no way you're getting enough sleep."

Well, she had me there. I couldn't exactly tell her that most nights when I'm 'at the office,' I'm actually at a hotel with a woman by my side. I tried to give her a reassuring smile. "Honestly Rukia, you don't need to worry about me, I'm feeling great."

Her face was still grim, and she gave me a disapproving look.

"Will it make you feel better if I promise to try and come home earlier?"

This seemed to calm her as she nodded in relief, but then she suddenly pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm going to be calling Uncle Renji too! He's obviously not helping you enough with work!"

We then both burst into a fit of laughter, as the image of Renji getting harassed by a high school girl entered our minds. The funniest part was that we could easily imagine it, as it had happened plenty of times in the past. Oh, Renji.

Breakfast was finished a few minutes later, and I began to tuck the dishes into the dishwasher for later while Rukia went about with the rest of her morning ritual. Since I've been so damn busy lately, eating breakfast together has been one of our few opportunities to spend time with each other, even if it's only for a few minutes. While I do have off time, lately I've been spending more of that time with my ladies, or when I was free Rukia herself would be busy… which for some reason, extremely irked me. I know, I know. I, of all people shouldn't be talking. But hey, she's my 'lil sis. What can you do about it?

A couple minutes later, I was ready to go. I looked at the time – 7:20. Good, that meant if I walked, I could be at the office by 7:45. Rukia was still in the bathroom, so on my way out I shouted, "I'm going now! Don't do drugs, stay in school, you know the drill!"

Faintly, I heard her reply back. "Sure, but I can't make any promises! Stay safe Bya-nii, and you better come home early tonight! I'll make dinner!"

Satisfied and with a renewed motivation to actually get home at a normal hour (Rukia was a better cook than I was), I was ready to begin my day.

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><p>The cherry blossoms were beautiful this time of year.<p>

Well, they would be beautiful if it wasn't for the fact that it was suddenly pouring outside. Me, being the absolute genius that I am, concluded that a beautiful and sunny morning would lead to a beautiful and sunny afternoon. I was horribly wrong. Thunder shook the air as the rain felt like bullets against my body as I dashed toward the street where I might find some cover, sticking close under the trees as much as possible.

I had been taking a stroll in one of my favorite yet secluded parks during my break. It was actually located on a large stretch of Kuchiki property, and with traditional Japanese blood running strong through most of the elders, they had taken up the project of planting cherry blossoms throughout the place. While the elders of the Kuchiki clan and I didn't always see eye-to-eye, this was one decision of theirs that I was grateful for.

There's nothing more relaxing than letting cherry blossoms fall all around you, the only sound being the trickling of the nearby stream and the chirping of the birds, the racket and chatter of normal city life unable to penetrate through the trees.

What _wasn't_ relaxing was soggy petals sticking to your suit while your whole outfit got ruined by the downpour, no shelter in sight.

I finally got out of the trees and onto the sidewalk, the inside of a store just across the street suddenly very appealing to me. The clouds had obscured the sun and the rain made it near impossible to see too far, so it wasn't my fault when I sprinted across the street and almost got splattered by a car.

It barely managed to stop in time, and if I hadn't skittered backward at the last second, well… that wouldn't be a pretty sight right there. Considering that I was soaked to the core I wasn't in a very good mood right then and there, and nearly getting run over wasn't helping anything.

I slammed my fist down on the hood of the car, ignoring the pain that followed. "Hey, asshole, watch we're you're going!" I screamed in the typical New York fashion. The driver replied with an angry honk when it suddenly cut itself short, and the driver side window rolled down. A red headed man stuck his head out and gave me an astonished look.

"Oh shit, Byakuya, is that you?"

I stared down the driver, fury beginning to melt into surprise. But don't get me wrong, fury was still there.

"Goddamit Renji! You almost ran me over!" For emphasis, I slammed down on the hood of his car once more.

"Stop that! And it's not my fault, you came out of nowhere! Hop in already, I'll give you a ride back as an apology."

Without hesitation, I got into the passenger side and happily plopped into the seat, dripping water from everywhere onto everything. Renji gave a look of sorrow at his soon-to-be-ruined seats, but the glare I gave him shut him up in an instant. Just for added measure, I shook my arms a few times, sprinkling water onto the rest of the car and onto Renji himself. Satisfied with my work, I sat back and relaxed, enjoying the wonderful invention called seat heaters.

At Renji's questions, I explained to him that I was enjoying my break at the Kuchiki Gardens, completely unaware that the weather was going to take a turn for the worse. Renji himself had been on his way to take his lunch break when he nearly ended my life in what would have been a violent clash of metal upon flesh.

"By the way Byakuya, do you wanna have lunch together? It would be a pain to drop you off at the law firm and then head back."

I gave him a dry smile. "Well, when you put it so delightfully, I think I'll just _have_ to join you."

It seemed my sarcasm was lost on him, because instead he just gave a happy yell and began to blabber about how amazing and awesome this café that we were going to was. When we finally arrived at said café, the rain had let up some and my hair had finally stopped dripping onto the seats, to Renji's delight.

We made a quick dash from the car to the interior of the café, which actually didn't look half bad. It looked like your standard New York coffeehouse – quaint, comfortable, but still modern. We took our places on the line as I scanned the menu with interest. I was hungry as hell.

After receiving a hearty sandwich loaded with various toppings along with a water bottle to wash it down and then making Renji pay for all of it, we settled at a table near the corner of the room.

At first, we ate in silence. I recognized this part of the city; we were near the high school that Rukia attended. A quick look at my (thankfully waterproof) watch told me that she'd be getting out in about 30 minutes. She usually walked to school, and while she probably brought an umbrella, she was still likely to get wet in this weather. Did she have a ride home?

"Byakuya!"

My head snapped back to attention as I shot Renji an annoyed look.

"What?" I growled at him.

"You were really spacing out there. You alright?" He looked genuinely concerned, so I bit back a snappy retort and nodded. I sensed the need to change the conversation.

"How's the investigation going?"

Renji brightened immediately, determination showing in the gleam in his eyes. "We're finally closing in on that Kariya bastard. All we need is just one little mistake on his part, and then we'll be on him in a second. He's not slipping through our fingers a second time. And with the evidence that we have piled up and half of his subordinates already locked up, it's not long before we just get rid of those damned Bounts once and for all. "

While I may have mentioned before that Renji is a detective, what I failed to add was that he worked in the homicide department. Lately, a group called the Bounts had showed up, and they were pretty much a freaky as hell cult that believed the blood of humans would give them strength and eternal life. They were basically your modern-day vampires, leaving trails of blood-drained corpses in their wake.

They were disgusting, and I was looking forward to personally making sure that they spent the rest of their lives behind bars.

"Kariya Jin is a sly bastard, isn't he?" I practically hissed. We knew Kariya to be the head of the Bounts, and capturing him would likely spell the downfall for the rest of those blood-sucking bastards.

Renji nodded in agreement, a disgusted look on his face. "But his followers aren't as sly – we'll have them talking in no time."

We discussed further details about the case as we finished up the rest of our meal, and although I had hoped the rain would die down enough so that I could walk back to the office, I wasn't in luck. The thunder and lightning had stopped, but it was still pouring buckets outside.

"I think it's about time we head back," I said.

Renji glanced at his watch and I watched in amusement as his eyes widened in shock. "Oh shit, I took a damn long lunch break. And I guess you're expecting me to take you back to the office, huh?" I nodded in agreement. Although I had enough cash for a taxi, I was having fun watching him sweat. "Alright then, I'll make up for my lateness by having Kariya Jin in cuffs by the end of the day!" he loudly announced.

Several people around us turned to look, either a curious, amused, or disgusted expression on their faces. I couldn't help chuckling as Renji finally realized the unfortunate wording of his sentence. A red flush crept along his cheeks as he attempted to explain things, but people only turned away, muttering under their breaths.

"How about you stop embarrassing yourself already so we can leave?"

He nodded furiously as he quickly led the way through the café while I smoothly followed. Again, we sprinted from the entrance to his car, and this time it was both of us soaking wet on his car seats. As he turned onto the road, I couldn't help noticing the time. 2:50 P.M.

Rukia would be out of school in a matter of minutes, and she would have to walk home in this storm.

"Renji, do you know where Shino High School is?"

He considered this for a few moments before nodding in affirmation. "That's where Rukia goes, right?"

"Correct. Would you mind stopping by there and seeing if Rukia needs a ride home?"

Renji opened his mouth – most likely to protest – but I quickly cut him off. "And although that was a question, you know full well that you don't really have any other options."

It was clear that he considered another argument, but I was enough of a superior to him that he just simply sighed in defeat and turned the car around. He was silent for the next few minutes and pouting as well, although I had no idea what good that would do him.

We arrived in front of Shino High School just as students were streaming out from the exits. Some had the foresight to bring umbrellas while others were simply forced to using their hoodies or not even make an attempt to stay dry.

Renji had parked the car across the street where there was a clear view of the main entrance, and although I did feel a bit like a pedophile, I closely scanned the body of students, searching for my little sister. Finally, I spotted her taking cover underneath an overhang near one of the exits.

"There she is," I told Renji, pointing her out.

"Oh, I see her! Is she waiting for somebody?"

On the possibility that she had made a request for me to pick her up, I checked my cell phone to see if she had left me a message.

Nothing.

So who was she waiting for? She certainly just wasn't going to wait out the storm – it was likely to last all day.

"Alright, screw it, let me call her so I can tell her we'll give her a ride."

Entering her number into my phone, I ignored Renji's angry mumble of, "You mean that _I'll_ give her a ride," and was just about to dial it when somebody approached her. I hesitated, not calling her just yet.

A tall, orange-haired boy was talking to her, and judging from their happy faces and easy laughter, it was clear that they already knew each other.

"Ooh, Byakuya, you think that guy is her boyfriend?" Renji cooed.

I turned around in my seat and scoffed at him. "Oh please, I doubt that Rukia's interested in him. They're probably just friends and besides, she would have told me about him."

"Oh really? So is that what 'friends' do to each other nowadays? 'Cause damn, I wish my lady friends did that to _me_ in high school."

Immediately, I spun around in my seat. The sight that beheld me made me want to pulverize somebody. All the students had cleared out from the entrance of the school, so nobody else was there to witness Rukia and the orange-haired boy engage in a passionate kiss. Her arms were wrapped around his neck with her hands buried in his hair. Suddenly, his kisses began to progress down the side of her neck and one of his hands was on Rukia's chest.

This filthy boy was _fondling_ my sister.

"Oh _hell_ no," I snarled, fury and anger rising through my body until I felt like I was going to burst from my rage. There was no way I was going to let this, this… orange-haired _freak_ touch my sister. Rukia was_ mine_.

I cracked my knuckles in eager anticipation of what was to come.

Somebody was going to die today.


	3. Heartless

_Oops, has it really been five months since I last updated? My apologies! I've been lazy and unmotivated and there are still no guarantees that I'll update any faster. Maybe some encouraging reviews will help?_

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><p><strong>III; Heartless<strong>

"Oh _yes!"_

The screams of the woman beneath me pierced through the night as my name left her mouth in cries of pleasure. Her nails dug into my back scrabbling for some sort of purchase while I pounded mercilessly away at her. Our sweat-slicked skin meshed wonderfully together, each touch, each kiss igniting a fire in my senses.

She _would_ remember this day, oh, I was going to make sure of that.

No woman ever forgot the taste of my _spice_.

But even though I was determined to make this the best sex that Soi Fong ever had, why wasn't I satisfied?

And why, oh _why_, was I still thinking about Rukia?

Even though my hands were traveling the wonderful curves of Soi Fong's body, all I could think about was how that orange-haired brat had been doing the same thing to my sister.

And as Soi Fong leaned forward and pulled me into a kiss, the image of Rukia making out with that boy was in the front of my mind.

It was a good thing I had my hands propped up on the sheets at that moment because my hand curled into a fist at the very thought. It had taken every ounce of Renji's strength and persuasive skills to hold me back (it's not like he could have used physical strength to stop me), and even then it was only because a teacher had shown up and separated the two that I hadn't gone over and beaten the living shit out of the boy. But afterward, they had both left in his car off to do God knows what.

Holy shit.

If he had taken my sister's innocence…

A particular hard thrust into Soi Fong sent her over the edge. Her back arched and her nails bit deep crescent-moons into my skin as she reached the peak of her pleasure, her moans and cries all but deafening me. Her breathing had more or less turned into deep panting, her cheeks a furious red, and I'm sure she was seeing Nirvana at that moment.

But she was sorely mistaken if she thought I was finished.

She wasn't going to be able to walk straight for days when I was through with her.

I was going to fuck her _senseless_.

It was two o'clock in the morning when I finally returned home. Soi Fong worked as head of the security for Seireitei; they were the main company that owned a majority of the law firms in New York City, along with owning branches in other major cities. The Kuchiki family is just the head of one of these branches, albeit we're one of the more influential law firms. Her day starts early because her security services extended to the heads of the branches and most particularly the head of Seireitei himself: Yamamoto Genryuusai, or as we call him, Captain Commander. Don't ask me why, but you don't question a man with as much authority as him.

When I reached the front door to my home, I paused before entering, listening for any sounds within.

Silence.

That was good, because if Rukia was still awake, she was going to be _pissed_. And I was definitely not in the mood to deal with her bitching at me when I could call her out about not telling me about orange-head.

Sure, she might say it's not my business.

_Well it is._

She might say that I'm being unfair.

_Who gives a fuck?_

She's not ready for love. She's not ready for how love can rip your heart of your chest without mercy, leaving you stranded alone, nobody listening to you even though you're screaming for help.

But that's another story.

Slowly, I opened the door and tip-toed rather unmanly-like into the kitchen, as silent as a shadow.

I soon realized that wasn't silent enough because as soon as I entered the kitchen the lights flickered to life, leaving me standing there dazed in the sudden brightness. My eyes adjusted quickly, and there, arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, was my sister. On the dinner table next to her was a beautiful plate of ribs, untouched.

Shit.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral as I slid off my jacket. I tossed it over the back of a chair, waiting for her response and not receiving it. I focused intently in loosening my tie, not even wanting to look at her at the moment.

She remained silent, and a flicker of irritation passed through my mind. "What, cat got your tongue?"

Apparently so, because she still said nothing.

Even more irked, I turned in her direction to giver her another snappy remark when I finally met her eyes.

Her watery, teary eyes.

My heart softened immediately as I reached for her, arms spread wide.

At first she hesitated, but then she flung herself into my embrace. She didn't sob, but rather her tears fell silently down her cheeks as she burrowed her face into my chest. I closed my eyes and rested my head on tops of hers, just letting her warm, soft body melt against mine.

When she spoke, her voice trembled with emotion. "I was so, _so_ worried about you. You _always_ answer your phone or leave me a message or something! After losing Nee-chan… I couldn't bear the thought of losing you also."

Feelings of regret and guilt washed over me, and I was so lost in my thoughts that the sudden sharp pain in my gut completely jolted me back into reality. I pulled back clenching my stomach, eyes wide with shock as I registered the smug grin on Rukia's face, her fist still raised in the air from where she had punched me.

My initial reaction was anger. That seems reasonable enough, right? After all, I had been sucker punched by my little sister. But another look at her face made it clear to me that her tears were authentic.

God, I was such a jerk.

I sat her down at the dinner table with a firm command to stay seated. Without a word, I reheated the food, set up the table, and served us both a hearty helping of the meal she had prepared. Sitting across from her, I happily shoved a huge chunk of the ribs down my throat. The heavenly taste hit me immediately, all spice and flavor and just plain goodness filling my stomach.

And I had really chosen a woman over this?

"So, how is it?" Rukia asked. She had dried her eyes while I was setting up the table, and now instead she just gave me a cautious glare.

In response, I took another huge bite of the ribs, not caring about stains that they could leave. "Are you kidding?" I mumbled through a mouthful, "it's delicious!"

This seemed to cheer her up, although I knew it was only temporary. The rest would come later. So for now, she laughed happily at me and chided me for talking with my mouth full. We finished our 2 A.M. dinner happily enough, and I was tempted to just go off to my room without further discussion.

But oh, how the concerned brother in me wouldn't shut up.

I let her get ready for bed – she had been waiting for me in her school clothes this whole time – before I lightly knocked on her bedroom door. "May I come in?"

"Sure!"

When I let myself in, Rukia was sprawled on her bed, her hair damp and a book on her lap. Seeing the serious expression on my face, she simply inserted a bookmark for her page while I made myself comfortable on the chair in her room. The time on her clock read 2:28.

"Shouldn't little girls like you be asleep on a school night?" I teased.

"Not if there are scary guys like you in my room."

I clutched at my stomach, feigning pain. "Ouch."

"You deserve it," she said simply.

Double ouch. But she was right on that point. Excuses rattled around in my mind as I considered the chances of me scraping myself out of this mess. A moment passed, and I settled on the most direct approach: "If I say I'm sorry, will you believe me?"

Rukia mused this over for a second, a serious expression on her face although there was a glint of mischief showing in her eyes. "That depends, what am I getting for my birthday?"

A sly grin crept up her lips, and I couldn't help but suddenly reach over and muss up her hair. She squealed in protest and quickly rolled away, hiding under the protection of her bed sheets.

"Nothing if you're thinking about keeping that up, ya brat," I said fondly, knowing that this was the best I was going to get out of her. She poked her head from the covers, a pout on her cute face. Her shirt slid down a little, revealing a bruise below her collarbone.

Except I that it wasn't just a normal bruise, and I knew exactly who had given it to her.

Rage ran through my mind, an emotion that was just hot and pulsing and blocking out every other thought. The change of expression on my face must have been immediate, because Rukia gave me a wary look. When she realized I was staring at her hickey, she let out a complete gasp of shock and quickly pulled the bed sheets well over her neck.

"Bya-nii, it's not what you think, I j-just fell!"

"_Bullshit!"_ I roared. Within a second I had ripped the bed sheet away from her body. Her hand shot out to cover the mark, but I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled it away.

"Don't you dare bullshit me!" I screamed. "It was that orange-haired bastard, wasn't it?"

Her eyes went wide and she furiously broke free from my grasp and held her wrist close to her chest.

"Don't call him that, Bya-nii! Ichigo is a good man!"

I couldn't help the sneer that crept onto my face. "Oh, so his name is Ichigo, huh? He must be a _really_ good man if you let him touch you so easily like that. How good of a man is he, Rukia? Hm?"

She squirmed in her bed, fumbling for the bed sheets once more as she anxiously covered her neck with her hand.

Some bell was ringing dimly in the back of my head, warning me I was going to far, that Rukia didn't deserve this kind of treatment, that I was being way too harsh for something this small. But that still didn't stop me from saying:

"So what do the two of you do when you're alone? I know I'm out a lot. For all I know, you could have fucked him on this very bed."

Her eyes grew wide again, her hands clenching the sheets violently.

"Of course not, Bya-nii!" She was blinking rapidly at this point, and it was then that I realized she was working very hard not to start crying. Those bells in my head turned into a fierce ringing, one that snapped me back to my senses.

I reached toward her, and she immediately flinched away. It was that simple yet painful sight that melted through my anger. Hell, all my other emotions must have melted away also because it felt as if my mind shut down at that point.

What the fuck was had I been thinking?

Without another word, I spun on my heel and left.

"So, you actually called her a whore, huh?"

I glowered fiercely at Renji as I came perilously close to slamming my coffee down onto the table.

"I didn't call her a whore," I said.

He raised an eyebrow and quirked a smile. "Yeah, but it was implied."

I grit my teeth and settled on glaring at the window, moodily sipping from my coffee, waiting for the caffeine to kick in. We were at the same cafe as yesterday, as the sun rose over the beginning of a new work day. After my confrontation with Rukia, I was too ashamed with myself to see even her in the morning, so I grabbed some clothes and made the short drive to Renji's apartment where I ended up crashing for the rest of the night. Although, that would imply that I had actually gotten some sleep last night.

Which of course, I hadn't. Sure, I had slept on people's couches before, but the anxiety and regret made it impossible for me to sleep. Of course, I wasn't going to wallow in my misery alone. I usually wasn't one for video games, but I had access to Renji's XBox and his account and hell, I just wanted to play a mindless shooting game. By the time Renji woke up, I had ranked up his account on Call of Duty by twenty-five levels.

And Renji said I was no good at games.

Sure, I now had bags under my eyes and I already had three cups of coffee trying to wake up, but hey, I could be a douche bag brother who just _implied _that his sister was a whore.

Oh wait.

I laughed loudly and bitterly at my own misery, at that moment wishing my coffee was a beer as I chugged down the rest of its contents. At Renji's incredulous stare, I smiled cynically at him as I began to gather my things.

"Let's get to work, shall we?"

"Now, I'm going to give you two options. To put it simply, only one of them has a happy ending for you. In this ending, you tell us where Kariya is and the prosecution will not push for the death sentence. Of course, if you choose not to do this, then the prosecution _will _push for the death sentence and we will thenhave you convicted of the rape and murder of thirteen women."

I said all this just as one would talk to his friend, my body language casual and my tone light and friendly. I flashed him a charming grin. "And then you will die."

Mabashi attempted to maintain his 'I don't give a shit' attitude by tossing back his hair and giving me a nasty sneer, but the panic that sparked in his eyes told me otherwise.

"I am giving you five minutes to make your decision." I slid a piece of paper and a pen across the table to him. "If you do decide to cooperate, all you need to do is write down everything you know."

He glanced down at the paper, then leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk. Snickering, he flipped me off. "Fuck you, asshole. You think you can get me to break just because you're throwing around the death sentence? Forget about it. You've got nothing on me."

Content with his little speech, he leaned so far back on his chair that I was sure he was going to fall - but of course, he didn't. The look on his face told me that he was fairly confident with what he had said.

Hah. Arrogant little prick.

A manila folder with several papers inside rested in front of me. I picked it up and quickly scanned through its contents. With careful deliberateness, I began to place several photos side-by-side on the table. Eventually thirteen photos were laid out.

"Do you recognize any of these women?" I said quietly.

He carelessly glanced at the photos in front of him, the corner of his lips turning up slightly. Each photo featured a beautiful woman, all somewhere within their twenties. The only thing that marred their beauty was the clean red line across each woman's throat and the blood that covered most of their bodies. "Of course not. Any reason that I should?"

The mockery in his voice didn't faze me at all. Instead, I calmly pointed to five photos in turn and said, "At the crime scenes of these women, traces of semen was found. Three of these samples were still enough in tact to be able to perform genetic testing on them. The boys at the lab tell me that they'll be done with testing soon." I paused, made eye contact with him. "I'm sure I won't be disappointed with their results." He gave me a cold stare in return, so I continued.

Opening the manila folder once more, I pulled out two more photos and placed them on the table. "These two pictures show evidence that was found near the bodies of Margaret Colt and Danielle Woodworth." He leaned forward to get a better view of the pictures, his eyes suddenly widening in surprise at what he saw. He quickly got a hold of himself, but his reaction was exactly what I wanted. "Yes Mabashi, hair was found by the bodies of these two women. Specifically speaking, long, orange-red hairs." Again, I pointedly stared at him. "I wonder where I've seen that before?"

He made a small sound under his breath and looked away, the gears seeming to visibly turn in his head. "You can't peg me on just that."

I smiled lightly at him. "You're right. No jury would convict you on just those pieces of evidence that I just showed you."

"Then-"

"You're going to be convicted because of everything else that I'm going show to the jury. I won't go into detail, but let's just say that you've been awfully sloppy at the crime scenes. It's only due to luck that you haven't been caught sooner."

I briefly glanced down at my watch. "Well, it seems that you only have about two and a half minutes left to make your decision. It is within your best interests to write down everything you know about Kariya on that piece of paper. I'm sure the alternative has been made clear to you at this point." I began to stand up and put the photos back in the folder. He was staring intently at the paper, hand reaching toward the pen, then cringing away.

"Don't forget to sign your name at the bottom when you're done." I said amiably on my way out. My hand was on the doorknob when he spoke.

"You're a heartless bastard, aren't ya?" His voice was weary, tainted by resignation and a sense of defeat.

His hand was curled tightly around the pen.

I turned and smiled at him. "That's why I'm the best."


	4. In Loving Memory

_Look, it's back! I had about 75% of this chapter written for a couple months, so I figured I might as well as finish it. Sorry this chapter is a lot shorter than the others, but if I tried to make it any longer than I probably would have given up on it again. But hey, it's done, so that's something. _

_I'd promise the next chapter soon but I would most likely be lying._

_Also, does anybody have ideas for a cover image? I'd rather not pull a random picture from the internet without getting permission from the artist. _

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><p><strong>IV; In Loving Memory <strong>

"Court dismissed."

I felt no remorse as I watched the bailiff lead the screaming Mabashi out of the courtroom. He was a disgusting man, and was better off rotting away in prison for the rest of his life.

You think performing a social justice like this would make me happy. Hell, on a daily basis I'm helping to make this city safer, and everyone in this courtroom would thank me for my services. But that wasn't good enough for me.

Just the fact that people like Mabashi still existed on this planet made me want to scream to the skies about how unfair it was for the victims. Those thirteen women who had their throats slit after rounds of sexual torture - they were gone, and in their places were gaping holes in the hearts of their friends and families.

A hand heartily slapped my back, snapping me out of my daze. "You did a good job, bro. You know that, right?"

This was something Renji told me after every 'victory' for our side and after a while, it really didn't mean much anymore. Heh, but if I ever told him that, he would launch _such _a bitch fit. So instead of completely ignoring him, I simply said, "Yeah, yeah, I know." He looked at me unconvinced at first, but I flashed him what I hoped was a cheery smile.

He huffed out a breath and shrugged. "Are you leaving for the day?"

"Yeah. You'll take care of the rest of the paperwork?"

"Count on it."

I nodded curtly in his direction and then set off to retrieve my car. Settling into my convertible, I eased into the traffic of the city; whenever I was feeling anxious, I made this trip to soothe my mind.

On the outskirts of town was a small flower shop. My flashy car was pretty obnoxious for this part of the neighborhood, so when I got out I think I did something close to a triple check on the lock. When I entered the building, a middle aged woman greeted me with a smile. "Oh, Byakuya! It's good to see you again. My, you look as handsome as ever!"

"Thank you, Judith. It's always a pleasure to be greeted by such a lovely woman," I said smoothly, although my mind was distracted; responses like this were basically second nature to me.

Before I could even tell her what kind of flowers I wanted, she began bustling her way to the back of the store. "Did you lock up another baddie?" her muffled voice called out. Judith was cute like that, using words like 'baddie' to describe convicted felons.

I told her about what had happened today in court while she came out from the back with a bouquet of white roses. She nodded approvingly as she rang up the bill on the register. I paid for my purchase and reached to take the flowers from her hands, but instead she set the flowers on the counter, stood in front of me, and then suddenly gave me a fierce hug. After she let go, she looked at me fondly and said, "You seemed a little down today."

I attempted to keep the brief moment of surprise off my face, but I must have failed miserably because she took one look at me and giggled cheerily. I began sputtering out a response but she simply shoved the flowers into my arms and shooed me out the front door, all the while saying, "You're a good man, Byakuya, don't forget that. And tell her I said hello." And just like that, she shut the door in my face and left me standing there, staring incredulously at the street while holding the bouquet. I smiled slightly and got into my car.

Judith was a woman who was keenly aware that the little things make all the difference.

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><p>After several minutes of driving, it was clear that I was well away from the city as my surroundings turned into a suburban environment. The familiar houses stirred up nostalgia in my heart; the kind of nostalgia that made me wonder why I even made this trip in the first place.<p>

Eventually, I pulled into a parking space across from a small cemetery. Lucky me, it seemed like I had the place to myself for the day. I walked along a cobblestone path until I reached a simple tombstone that was plainly marked:

_IN LOVING MEMORY OF_

_HISANA KUCHIKI_

_1989 - 2010_

I placed the flowers by her tombstone and took a seat on the ground, not caring much about my suit. "Hey, Hisana," I said quietly, "Judith sends her greetings." For a while, I simply sat there next to her, enjoying the peaceful breeze and fresh air; a liberty that was near impossible to have in the city.

A shaky breath left my mouth. "Hisana, I fucked up. And I know you don't like it when I curse, but that's just how bad of a mistake I made." I paused and pulled at the grass anxiously; even when she wasn't really there, I still felt nervous about owning up to my mistakes. "When I went to go pick up Rukia I saw her making out with her boyfriend, which of course made me mad since she never told me about him. But then I really flipped out when I saw that she had a hickey." Saying this out loud made the immaturity of my actions hit home; I suddenly felt like a child and all I wanted to do was just curl up into a ball and forget about everything, but I trudged on. "I don't know why I got so mad. She's certainly old enough to be dating but I guess I just don't want anything bad to happen to her - after what she's been through, I just want to shield her from all the shit in this world, even though I know that's not _truly_ possible. But the idea of seeing her heart break? That seems like something that I can protect her from..." I yanked out a fistful of grass and shook my head in disgust. "And of course, the way I protect her from heartbreak is by inadvertently calling her a whore. Good job, Byakuya."

I sighed heavily and forced myself to being rambling off about all the other things that had been happening to me recently. I talked about the different trials I worked on, the events going on in Rukia's life, and when there was nothing left to say, I sat there in silence and contemplated my problems. I knew that Hisana wouldn't be proud of the way I had acted; hell, nobody would be proud of what I said, myself being at the top of that list. I had to do something.

Brushing the dirt off my pants, I stood up to leave, but not without one last look at the tombstone. "Don't worry Hisana, I'll fix this."

On the car ride home, I felt determined to apologize to Rukia and planed to tell her that she and her boyfriend had my blessing. Although the thought of Rukia with that orange-haired punk still irritated me, I pushed those feelings to the back of my mind. It was time to act like the adult for once and just deal with the fact that Rukia was growing up, and if she trusted him, then I had reason enough to trust him as well.

When I was back in the city, I stopped by a small food store and picked up some rice dumplings - her favorite snack - as a peace offering. Hell, maybe I could even take her out to eat as well. I spent the remaining time in the car humming happily along to the song playing on the radio.

I parked the car, entered the building, and made my way into the elevator, the song that I was humming earlier now playing on repeat in my head. Before I opened my front door, I shot a glance at my watch - 6:23 P.M. Alright, Rukia would probably be home by now. I opened the door and flipped on the light.

"Hey Rukia, I'm home!" I called out. "I need to talk to you and hey, I brought some rice dumplings also." I shook my shoes off while the sound of faint voices came drifting from another room. Around my feet were our collection of shoes, and the ones that Rukia typically wore were among the pile... Along with another pair of sneakers that I didn't recognize. "Rukia?" I asked a bit more tentatively.

For a moment there was no answer and I felt my body tense up, but then I heard the familiar, "Yeah I'm here, Bya-nii!"

I visibly relaxed and said, "Well come on over here!"

"Well actually, I have something I need to talk to you about also." Rukia finally walked into view, but she wasn't alone. Trailing behind her was a tall, orange-haired boy.

It literally took all of my willpower to keep my fists from clenching at the sight of him.

Rukia took a breath, squared her shoulders, and evenly met my glare with her own fierce stare. "I want you to meet Ichigo, my boyfriend."

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><p><em>Thanks for reading! It would be lovely if my return back to <em>Spice!_ would be greeted with reviews from my wonderful readers~_


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